PIE’s airlines report an overall 4% increase in 2012 over 2011, with 865,942 passengers. Domestic overall was up 3% and International increased 29%.

PIE’s largest airline, Allegiant, served 24 cities and 743,996 passengers in 2012 (5.7% increase over 2011). Beau Rivage Resort and Casino increased frequencies to Gulfport-Biloxi to five times a week for a 62% increase in passengers in 2012 using Vision Airlines. And, International service to Canada by Sunwing and Air Transat showed significant gains, including seasonal service to Toronto beginning a month earlier than in 2011 and added capacity from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Allegiant is poised for increases in 2013 with plans to bring retrofitted 166 seat MD80 aircraft to PIE and possible additional destinations. Noah Lagos, Airport Director states “We are also seeing a growth in outbound passengers as more and more of our Tampa Bay community learns about the great fares and non-stop flights that make air travel so convenient. We are very excited about the future growth of air service at PIE!”